Boston College: No rest in defense at The Heights

Thursday

Aug 30, 2007 at 12:01 AMAug 30, 2007 at 4:06 PM

CHESTNUT HILL - While the Boston College offense has spent the last month cramming to get ready for Saturday's season-opening game at home against Wake Forest, the defense has been clicking from the start. It's a unit that feels it can be special this season.

By Eric Avidon

While the Boston College offense has spent the last month cramming to get ready for Saturday's season-opening game at home against Wake Forest, the defense has been clicking from the start.

It's a unit that after beginning last season in bad shape, allowing more than 400 yards its first two games and over 500 yards the third, locked things up the rest of the way and wound up ranked 34th nationally in total defense, which measures yards allowed, and 14th in scoring defense, giving up 15.69 points per game.

It's a unit that feels it can be special this season.

"I think we're good, but a lot of it is potential," said senior middle linebacker Jolonn Dunbar. "We have to turn that potential into reality, into being a good team, a good defense. ... We have a lot of potential to be really good, to be a top defense, but we have to show that on the field, which is easier said than done."

"I think they're going to be very good," echoed senior quarterback Matt Ryan. "We went against them all spring and all of fall camp and you can see what they're capable of doing and compare them against past defenses, and I think they're going to be very good. ... They've been a headache for us in terms of protection."

Unlike last year when just one of the Eagles' first three games was against a conference opponent or a team expected to be on the same level as BC - Clemson, on both counts - there's no time to play poorly this season, no time to give up points against mediocrity and rely on the offense to carry the load.

BC opens with the defending ACC champions, a team that beat the Eagles, 21-14, last November. Each of the next two games are in the conference as well, home against N.C. State - another team that beat BC last year - then at Georgia Tech.

"Potentially, we're extremely good," said senior defensive end Nick Larkin. "We have as much talent as we've had in the past, and maybe more. A lot of people look at the talent as what makes a defense good, and it's not. The No. 1 thing we have is the experience."

He cautioned, however, "We had a good camp last year, but those three games we got lit up. We gave up a lot of points. ... Even if we're having a good camp we still have to look for things to improve on."

Beyond the importance of the opening three games to a team whose stated aspiration is to win the ACC, the onus may be on the defense to carry the team much the way the offense was able to carry the team early last year.

With a new head coach and entirely new offensive coaching staff, the playbook was revamped, and the offense went through a crash-course during spring practice and fall camp. The players insist they're ready, and showed significant improvement as fall camp progressed, but the offense will remain a question-mark until it steps on the field and shows itself against a real opponent.

"I feel like it could (be a role-reversal from last year), but that's a team," said Dunbar. "When the offense struggles the defense has to step up, and vice versa. They did it for us last year, and we might have to do it for them this year.

"But the way they look in practice, they look good. ... Later in camp, things just clicked for them."

Although the defense expects to be good, maybe even exceptional, and knows it will have to be solid from the start, the first team it will face poses unique challenges. More than any other team on BC's schedule, Wake Forest uses misdirection and incorporates some razzle-dazzle into its offense.

"They do a lot of trick plays," said senior safety Jamie Silva. "The last few years they've scored off of reverses and reverse passes, strange, wacky plays that aren't traditional football plays. You have to be heads-up when you play them. ... The coaches have been stressing staying at home, just following your reads, that if you follow your reads you won't mess up.

"You can't be flying around with first-game excitement because that's when they'll catch you with the long one."

But if the defense does stay in position, if the players can keep their adrenaline in check, a unit with the potential to be better than good will be on display.

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